A Gift of Coming Home
by Rono
Summary: Anakin comes home from a long journey to see his wife and two kids…for a lifeday! It’s Luke and Leia’s 6th lifeday today, and Anakin can’t wait to be at home with his adoring children. One shot!


This was originally a fic for a fic exchange. Since I deleted all my other fics, I decided to upload it! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars, or any of the characters in it.

A Gift of Coming Home

Out of the sky the transporter came, it hovered down onto the ground slowly and safely. It had been 3 months since Anakin had come home to his wife and kids. Today was going to be the special day- nobody knew he was coming home. Well, except for Obi-Wan, because Obi-Wan had to know_everything. _He quickly dropped by a store to get a dozen flowers, a huge smirk beginning to grow across his face. He couldn't wait to hold his wife in his arms again, feel her soft skin against his own.

As he ventured up to the house, he noticed how much more beautiful the house looked than it usually did. Flowers carefully arranged- he knew that was Padmé's doing, with a simple yet creative rock path leading to the doorway. Now his smirk was a full face smile, and he almost began to knock on the door, until he realized once again, it was his own. He opened the door quietly, hoping to avoid the soft creaking sound it usually made. He tiptoed into the living room where he knew his kids would be sitting, playing. They didn't notice him at first, until an air space in the floor made a soft noise. That was enough for Luke, who sprang up and before Anakin knew it, was flying into his arms; soon with Leia to follow, and screams of "Daddy! Daddy!"

Then, the highlight of Anakin's life (tied with his children, of course) walked into the room. A dish towel in hand, she focused her eyes on the mess in the floor. "Kids, I'm sorry, but Daddy isn't coming home for a whi-" and then she broke off. She saw him standing there, arms full with his kids, and yet she still ran to him and gave him one of the tightest hugs. They were together at last. "Ani?" She almost choked it out, tears forming in her eyes.

"Padmé." He smiled, kissing her softly and outstretched his arms, uncovering the flowers behind his back. "For you." Anakin could tell how happy she was, and he was glad. She deserved it after all the time of waiting for him to come home; not even knowing if he were dead or alive.

Luke and Leia were almost shaking in excitement. They looked up so much to their father- the strong, independent, perfect Jedi. Even while they played, they pretended sometimes to be Jedis themselves. One would be Anakin, usually Luke, and the other would be Obi-Wan or some made up character. Today, they were playing with their gifts. Which Anakin almost forgot. "I got you two something." He lowered himself down to his knees, reaching in his robe. "Just promise you'll be careful and won't use them until we're done training…" He knew Luke knew what it was now. He'd only been asking for one forever.

He wasn't going to take it to a stretch though. The two lightsabers, well, training lightsabers, were set to the lowest intensity level. Obi-Wan would call him crazy. Obi-Wan would want to be there for every training session, too. "Dad, you are the absolute coolest dad ever." Luke smiled at him, spinning around holding his new lightsaber in hand.

Leia just kind of stared at it, unsure if she should be using it yet, or not. "Don't worry, sweetie. I got you something different, too." He pulled her in for a hug, while pulling something else out of his robe. "You said you wanted someone to talk to other than your dorky brother, right?" He saw her giggle a little as he handed her the small doll.

"Wow, she's amazing!" She held the doll high up in the air, and pulled it close to her chest, talking to it like a baby. "Do you want me to read you a story, dolly? You need a name, don't you?" The smile on her face was bigger than anything.

In all of this, Padmé just stood, watching her husband, how happy the children were around him and vise-versa. She was glad he was home, really. She hadn't been so tired since, well, forever. And in the midst of it all, she had something to tell him. Her eyes widened, "Ani, can I talk to you for a minute?"

He could sense the nervousness in her voice. He took her by the waist and pulled her closer, taking both of her hands and placing them at his chest. "Yes, darling?" It was almost a whisper, and it sent shivers down Padmé's spine.

"Well, I tried to tell you over the holocommunicator before, but I couldn't really get through, you were so far away…I decided it would be best, anyway, if I waited until you were here. The kids already know." She began to smile finally, an awkward, but beautiful smile. "Ani, I'm pregnant!"

He squeezed her hands tightly, wanting to pick her up, spin her around, laugh with her, and cry with her. They had always talked about having another kid, he just didn't know if they were being serious or not. He began to wonder, was it a boy? Was it a girl? Did he want another strongly politically influenced daughter to act upon Padmé? Did he want another boy, to become best friends with Luke, to be guided by him? Then it didn't matter, either way, he had, what was in his mind, the perfect family.

Looking around the room, he saw his son clumsily pretending to battle with his lightsaber, his daughter reading one of Padmé's books (such a smart little girl) to her doll, and there in front of him, his radiant wife smiling to him. This is what he got for being home- home where he could protect the family that mattered the most to him. He was thankful for that. There was nothing in the world that could replace the feeling of watching one's family grow and the quiet peace shared with the people one loves.


End file.
